OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the efficacy of latanoprost for patients with refractory angle-closure glaucoma in whom the intraocular tension failed to be kept under control by common anti-glaucoma drugs.METHODS:A total of 23 refractory glaucoma cases(36 eyes)whose intraocular pressure(IOP)failed to be kept under control by common anti-glaucoma drugs were assigned to receive latanoprost alone or latanoprost combined with timolol or pilocarpine for 6 months.The intraocular tension,visual acuity,visual field and side-effect were observed.RESULTS:In acute primary angle-closure glaucoma group,the mean IOP was(27.13?5.21)mmHg before treatment vs.(16.21?3.45)mmHg at six months(P

Objective To explore the factors influencing pneumococcal vaccination uptake among the el-derly people in Guangzhou. Methods A survey by questionnaire was performed among 827 subjects aged 60 years or above and living in Guangzhou for five consecutive years. Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis were applied to identify factors influencing pneumococcal vaccination uptake among the elderly. Results The positive factors for vaccination uptake among the elderly people included age of over 70 years (OR=1.677, 95%CI: 1.156 ~ 2.434), mental workers (OR = 1.837, 95%CI: 1.214 ~ 2.779), education background of over-three-year-course training (OR=1.769, 95%CI:1.039~3.012), and history of chronic diseases (OR=1.659, 95%CI:1.096~2.512) were positively associated with pneumococcal vaccination uptake. Monthly disposable income was not an influencing factor (OR=1.420, 95%CI: 0.895 ~ 2.251). Conclusion Strengthened publicity of pneumo-coccal vaccination among the elderly people and flexible measures tailored to the needs of different groups are rec-ommended in order to improve pneumococcal vaccination uptake among the elderly people.

The key of Ankle-brachial index (ABI) measurement is the synchronous measurement of four limbs' systolic blood pressures. In this paper is analyzed the inadequacy of the modern blood pressure measurement technologies used in the ABI measurement process. Special emphasis is laid on the principles and characteristics of the double-layer cuffs technology. The research orientation, the existing problems, and the way toward improvement are discussed.
Ankle ; blood supply ; Ankle Brachial Index ; instrumentation ; methods ; Automation ; Blood Pressure ; physiology ; Blood Pressure Determination ; methods ; Brachial Artery ; physiology ; Humans ; Peripheral Vascular Diseases ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Regional Blood Flow

The existing mazes are mainly used to study the learning and memory of animals. However, there is still a lack of corresponding maze and method in the aspect of the observation and test of aquatic animal robots. For this purpose, the authors have developed a three-dimensional water maze combined with bilayer multi-channel which equips with stratified lines and tick marks. This device is a rectangular structure composed of one square bottom and four rectangular side walls, and the channels of every side wall are composed of one upper channel and two lower channels. The center of the upper channels is in the vertical center line of every side wall, and the two uper channels of adjacent side walls are at 90° degrees with each other, and the two lower channels of adjacent side walls are at 45° degrees with each other. There are stratified lines and tick marks on the side wall to test the spatial location and movement trajectories of aquatic animals. The carp robot was put into the water maze for the underwater experimental detection. The success rates of left and right steering at 135, 90 and 45 degrees as well as forward motion of the carp robots ( = 10) were over 60%. This study showed that the device could be used to observe and test the motion of the carp robot.

In order to study the effect of light with different wavelengths on the motion behavior of carp robots, phototaxis experiment, anatomical experiment, light control experiment and speed measurement experiment were carried out in this study. Blue, green, yellow and red light with different wavelength were used to conduct phototaxis experiments on carp to observe their movement behavior. By dissecting the skull bones of the carp to determine the appropriate location to carry the light control device, we independently developed a light control carrying device which was suitable for any illumination intensity environment. The experiment of the light-controlled carp robots was carried out. The motion behavior of the carp robot was checked by using computer binocular stereo vision technology. The motion trajectory of the carp robot was tracked and obtained by applying kernel correlation filter (KCF) algorithm. The motion velocity of the carp robot at different wavelengths was calculated according to their motion trajectory. The results showed that carps' sensitivity to different light changed from strong to weak in the order of blue, red, yellow and green, so that using light with different wavelengths to control the speed of the carp robot has certain laws to follow. A new method to avoid brain damage in carp robots control can be provided in this study.
Algorithms ; Animals ; Carps ; Motion ; Phototaxis ; Robotics

Non-contact measurement is an effective method of long time measurement of human electrocardiograph (ECG) signal. Because the relative position between measuring electrode and human body is not fixed, this method could result in constant changes of ECG signal collection. It often appears ECG signal distorting and weakened in filtering. This paper, using the principal component analysis (PCA) basic theory, proposes a fast adaptive PCA denoising algorithm which can automatically adjust the parameters according to the changes of ECG signal. The experiment proved that PCA denoising could be barely impacted by signal changes and can disposably remove interference signal on the premise of keeping the main features of ECG signal and can prevent ECG signal from being weakened in filtering at the same time.
Algorithms ; Artifacts ; Electrocardiography ; methods ; Humans ; Principal Component Analysis ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; instrumentation

As there are a number of ankle arteries and some of them can not be blocked completely under higher pressure from the external inflate cuff, we can not accurately identify the starting point of the pulse wave, so the errors of lower limb systolic blood pressure measurement take place and affect the accuracy of ankle-brachial index in diagnosing vascular disease. In this paper, we constructed delay vectors from the data we already collected from lower limb pulse wave and formed an embedding matrix; thus solving the problem of inadequate sensor dimensions. We extracted a single arterial pulse wave through the blind signal separation on the basis of embedding matrix, and we identified the lower limb systolic blood pressure corresponding to the starting point. Simulation and clinical experiments show the method can be used to separate the wave signals of ankle artery which contains information of systolic blood pressure. It improves the accuracy of lower limb systolic blood pressure measurement and hence provides accurate data for the clinical diagnosis of arterial disease.
Algorithms ; Ankle ; blood supply ; Blood Pressure ; Blood Pressure Determination ; methods ; Brachial Artery ; physiology ; Humans ; Leg ; blood supply ; Pulsatile Flow ; physiology ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted

Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a vital index of the cardiovascular pathology, so that the accurate measurement of PWV can be of benefit for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The noise in the measure system of pulse wave signal, rounding error and selection of the recording site all cause errors in the measure result. In this paper, with wavelet transformation to eliminate the noise and to raise the precision, and with the choice of the point whose slope was maximum as the recording site of the reconstructing pulse wave, the measuring system accuracy was improved.
Arteriosclerosis ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Artifacts ; Blood Flow Velocity ; physiology ; Humans ; Pulse ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Wavelet Analysis

Arteriosclerosis is one of the early characteristics of cardiovascular diseases, and pulse wave velocity (PWV) has the ability to reflect on arterial elasticity, so the accurate measurement of PWV can be of benefits for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. There are two methods based on volume pulse waveform and based on pressure pulse waveform for taking the measurement of PWV. The precision of detection depends mainly on choosing the recording sites of PWV. There are several methods to choose the recording sites of PWV. We can get it by tangent and by low-water mark or culmination. We also can choose the recording sites of PWV by getting the point where the greatest slope stands. The advantages and limitations of the existing methods are analyzed in this article, and the relative research orientation in the world is addressed. Lastly a scheme for improving the detection method is presented.
Algorithms ; Arteries ; physiopathology ; Arteriosclerosis ; diagnosis ; Blood Circulation ; Blood Flow Velocity ; physiology ; Humans ; Pulsatile Flow ; physiology ; Pulse ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted

Objective To investigate the effects of the decoction of Huoxue Jiangtang Yin (HJY) combined with metformin on glucose and lipid metabolism and fat factors in type 2 diabetes patients with insulin resistance ( IR). Methods A total of 84 type 2 diabetes patients with IR were randomly assigned to experiment group and control group, 42 cases in each group. Both groups were given the basic treatment of controlling diet, exercise therapy, banning from smoking and alcohol, and psychological therapy. Additionally, the control group was given metformin orally, and the experiment group was given oral use of metformin and the decoction of HJY ( mainly composed of Radix Astragalie, Rhizoma Rehmanniae, Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, Radix Pseudostellariae, Fructus Schisandrae, Radix Ophiopogonis, Radix Dioscoreae, Rhizoma Polygonati, Cortex Moutan, Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, Flos Carthami, and Semen Persicae). The treatment for both groups covered 20 weeks for a course of treatment. Before and after the treatment, we observed the indexes of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-h postprandial plasma glucose (2hPG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting insulin ( FINS) , homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance ( HOMA-IR) , body mass index ( BMI) , blood lipid of total cholesterol ( TC) , triglyceride ( TG) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL-C) , interleukin 6 ( IL -6) , tumor necrosis factor alpha ( TNF-α) , and secreted frizzled related protein 5 ( SFRP5). Results After treatment, FPG, 2hPG, HbA1c, BMI, FINS, TC, TG, LDL-C, HOMA-IR, TNF-α and IL -6 levels were all decreased (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and SFRP5 level was increased (P<0.05) in both groups compared with those before treatment. The improvement of the indexes in the experiment group was superior to that in the control group ( P<0.05 or P<0.01) Conclusion HJY combined with metformin has an effect on controlling body weight, regulating the glucose and lipid metabolism, and improving IR through regulating fat factors of IL-6, TNF-α and SFRP5 in type 2 diabetes patients with IR.